The history of our universe encompasses all. Our existence and the existence of every other atom can be traced back to an earlier time. One strong postulation envisions a moment when time and space all came together at which moment there was a Big Bang. Since then, actions and relationships have dictated development until we arrive at where we see ourselves on Earth today. Joseph Silk in his book On the Shores of the Unknown manages to include physical explanations for many of the astronomical highlights of this process. In so doing, he's made a very readable history of our universe.